


Smile of an Angel

by electricdino



Category: SHINee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-23
Updated: 2012-04-23
Packaged: 2018-02-15 21:43:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2244447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electricdino/pseuds/electricdino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christmas Eve. And Choi Minho finds himself returning to his old apartment after being fired from his job. His reunion with his friends is postponed, however, as he's attacked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smile of an Angel

**Author's Note:**

> So, this kinda hit me today and wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it. Yes, I know it's completely the wrong time of year to be posting a fic set at Christmas but oh well.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!!
> 
> You'll probably notice that this is very similar to the musical rent... well... that's cus it is. Me and my best friend were discussing fantasy kpop casting for the musical Rent, which then moved on to us imagining them performing the show... and this plot bunny hit me. The dialogue in this part is taken directly from the musical.

> (cross-posted to [aff](http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/180104/smile-of-an-angel-2min-minho-shinee-taemin) and [livejournal](http://electricdino.livejournal.com/8980.html))

Christmas Eve.  
  
When he had left for his job teaching Computer Science at some high school Choi Minho didn't expect that he would be returning to the 'poor' end of Seoul so quickly. No, when he left he had fully expected to stay in his job for a good few years. That wasn't to be though for he was fired after a few months on the job, due to the Principal of the school deeming what he was teaching the students inappropriate material.  
  
He had definitely not expected to return on Christmas Eve of all days, or nights as the sun had set long ago.  
  
The street he was walking down though was very familiar to him, since it led to the apartment complex that he had lived in with his friends before. Two of which still lived there, and he was hoping Jinki and Jonghyun would allow him to move back in, at least for the Christmas period, if not longer.  
  
He was pretty positive that they would, seeing as they had lived together before, but still... it was their apartment now so he felt it only appropriate to visit and ask.  
  
It was bitterly cold, and the leather coat on his back wasn't really doing a lot to stop him from freezing his backside off. Winter was never a good season for those who had a definite lack of money. Sadly Minho was one of those poor people, and unfortunately had been for years since he left University. He had struggled to find work, and even when he had it didn't last long.  
  
His income was low, but he knew that if he needed money he could just use his technical skills to rewire an ATM machine. He didn't want to resort to that too often though. That  _was_  stealing after all, and he did have a sense of right and wrong despite being low on luck and money.  
  
He needed to get inside quickly though. This end of Seoul wasn't exactly the nicest, and with how cold and dark it was it was definitely a good idea to be inside and  _stay_  inside. There were plenty of shady characters mulling about the streets, even during the day.  
  
Spotting the public payphone under his old apartment, Minho stuck a hand in his pocket to see if he had any change. As his fingers came into contact with some coins, he smiled in relief before hurrying to the payphone and sticking the money in the slot. He dialled a familiar number before waiting for his old flat-mates to pick up the phone.  
  
It was only a few moments before he heard the classic click and an idea hit him. He smirked before starting to sing down the phone. If that didn't let them know who was calling, then nothing would.  
  
"Chestnuts roasting-" Was as far as he got before he heard the delighted voices of his two friends.  
  
"Minho!"  
  
He chuckled in amusement before glancing up towards the balcony that belonged to his old apartment. "I'm downstairs." He grinned.  
  
"Hey!" Came a response. That one syllable not quite enough for him to distinguish whether it was the wannabe director who picked up the phone or the ex-rockstar.  
  
"Jonghyun picked up the phone?" He asked. Slightly in jest as he knew the chances of that happening were slim. Jonghyun had had it rough over the past few years and pretty much confined himself to the apartment, only really conversing with Jinki and Minho.  
  
A bark of laughter erupted from the phone before the reply came. "No, it's me." Jinki said, smile evident in his voice.  
  
"Throw down the key." It was obvious by now to them all that Minho would be visiting that night, but without a key he wasn't able to actually get  _into_  the building. Of course one of the others could have come down to let him in; but they had gotten so used to their routine of throwing down the keys from their balcony to whoever needed to get in, over the years they lived together, that it was force of habit now.  
  
Minho watched said balcony with amused eyes as one of the windows opened and a figure emerged. From the shadow that he could see, it was clearly Jinki that had climbed out, and the enthusiastic wave down at him was more than enough proof of that. He could still hear slight breathing on the other end of the phone, meaning Jonghyun must have taken over the receiver.  
  
He was about to greet his other hyung when Jinki reached over the railings of the balcony and dropped a set of keys down onto his head. Thankfully they weren't heavy but it was still slightly uncomfortable and left a small ache pulsing at the top of his head. He begrudgingly raised his free hand to rub the spot before stooping to pick up the keys that were now on the floor.  
  
"A wild night is now pre-ordained!" Jinki called down to him. But as Minho raised his head, his eyes fell onto two figures making their way down the street towards him. They were walking with clear purpose and the baseball bats in their hands was enough to send a shiver down his spine. He had to get into the apartment quickly.  
  
He took his eyes off of the approaching figures to look back towards the balcony but it was empty. His hyung had returned back to the inside of the apartment apparently. Not that Minho blamed him, seeing how cold it was, but it was enough to spark a fear into the younger male.  
  
He glanced back at the two men and saw that they were almost within reaching distance. No way was he going to make it into the apartment in time. He was screwed. What did they even want from him? All he had on him was a handful of change, the key to the apartment (which he quickly shoved down into his pants to avoid them being stolen), the clothes on his back and his leather coat. Whatever the case, this was going to be painful for him.  
  
"I may be detained." He hurriedly said in the phone before the guys were upon him. They yanked him out of the phone booth and, as the receiver hit the wall, a kick in the stomach brought Minho to the ground. He covered his head as a series of kicks and punches rained down on him with the occasional hit from a bat.  
  
Minho was barely conscious as he felt his coat slip off his shoulders and heard a triumphant yell. He struggled to raise his head only to see, once he had, that his two attackers were running away, his leather coat being tugged back and forth between them. So it was the coat they were after. Yes, it was cold, but was the situation really that desperate?  
  
He pulled himself to his knees and somehow managed to crawl over to the nearest alleyway. He collapsed against a wall before groaning. This was just not his night.  
  
\---  
  
Taemin never needed actual music to be able to dance. The world around him created enough on its own, so the lack of any man-made beats or notes wasn't a big deal for him. He could dance to anything, including the random sounds of traffic and people walking by. His ears had become so attuned to the world around him that he didn't miss anything.  
  
He had been dancing on these streets for as long as he could remember. To start off it had just been a hobby. But when his family had moved and he had remained in the city, he suddenly found himself needing an income. He naturally turned to his dancing, which he was more than a little good at if he was being honest.  
  
He rotated which streets he danced on as a way to gain the most money. Of course some streets were richer than others, but if he lingered on those for too long he would find himself being escorted away by a policeman. Snobby rich people... what did they know? At least they tipped well.  
  
Today though he was dancing on his own street. He had had a good haul the previous day so he didn't technically need to draw in an awful lot of cash. No, he was purely dancing for himself that night.  
  
He had just completed a series of intricate arm movements when what sounded like a pained groan reached his ears.  
  
Taemin paused momentarily as he tilted his head to the side. Did he really just hear that? He listened intently waiting to see if he heard the sound again but all was quiet so he returned to his routine.  
  
As his body span gracefully and he raised an arm into the air, he finally heard it again. He broke himself out of the turn and looked towards the alley to his left (the one that connected his street to the next one with the other large buildings of apartment complexes). It had come from down there.  
  
Confusion and worry invaded his mind. Was someone hurt? Because the sound he had heard was definitely a pained one. Should he go look? What if someone had been beaten and needed his help? But it was an alley... and a lot of shady things happened down those alleys. The last thing he wanted was to venture down it only to find two people in the middle of pleasing each other or worse.  
  
Taemin was in a dilemma, and it wasn't until a series of harsh coughs reached his ears that he finally put one foot in front of the other and walked down the alley. His eyes scanned left and right in the dark trying to find the source of the noise, and it wasn't long before they fell upon a heap on the floor that was leaning against a wall.  
  
It was a man.  
  
It was a badly beaten man. He was bleeding a lot and he looked like he was in a lot of pain.  
  
Taemin peered down at him before squatting and pressing a hand gently against the man's cheek. The eyes that opened to look at him were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. They were large, and though filled with pain, were fairly bright.  
  
"Are you okay?" The young dancer asked, giving the other a soft smile.  
  
The beaten man didn't respond for a while, he merely watched the younger with slight fear in his eyes. Taemin kept smiling at him gently and rubbed a thumb down his cheek in a soothing manner. Eventually the other's eyes softened and the younger felt him relax under his ministrations.  
  
"I'm afraid so." He sighed.  
  
Taemin removed his hand only to gently grasp one of the other man's and give it a gentle squeeze. He hated to see people in pain. It was almost inbuilt in him to help them out. And there was just something about the man before him that just screamed at him to help him. He felt like if he didn't help him, he would be making the biggest mistake of his life. His gut was telling him that this meeting was important, and he always listened to his gut. That was how he earned as much money as he did through his street dancing.  
  
"They get any money?" He asked. Judging by the look of this guy, he didn't have a lot to begin with. He hated to think what the poor guy would do if he had been completely robbed.  
  
"No." Another sigh. "Had none to get. But they took my coat." He coughed.  
  
Taemin looked apologetically at the man as he squeezed his hand again. He knew he shouldn't have been thinking so at the time but goodness was this man handsome. And the tones in his voice was sending pleasant shivers down his spine. "I'm sorry."  
  
"It's fine." The older, for Taemin could determine that this guy was definitely older than him, shrugged before another round of harsh coughing hit him. Taemin clung onto his hand as he rubbed soothing circles into his back with his other hand. Once the coughs had died down, a shiver ran through the other's body. "It's cold."  
  
"It's Christmas Eve." He smiled in answer. Of course it would be cold if it was Christmas eve. And this guy now had no coat. Making an immediate decision, Taemin wrapped an arm around the guy's waist and helped him to his feet. He was going to take this guy back to his place and look after him. It was the least he could do. And part of him was loathe to part from whatever-his-name-was.  
  
The older shot him a confused look which the dancer just smiled at. "I'm Taemin."  
  
Another moment of silence passed before the taller male smiled.  
  
"Minho. Choi Minho."  
  
A name! Taemin finally had a name for this guy. Choi Minho. It suited him.  
  
He gently ran a hand through the taller's hair before nodding. "It's nice to meet you. Now come on, let's get you patched up."  
  
"But... My friends are waiting..."  
  
"And they can continue to wait. You've just been mugged, Minho. Let me help you. You are in no condition to be wandering about on your own. And I refuse to take you anywhere until I've sorted out your injuries." Taemin said with determination. No way would he lose this fight. Minho was coming home with him whether he liked it or not.  
  
A soft blush spread across the taller's cheeks, causing Taemin to giggle softly. "I..."  
  
"You're cute when you blush." He uttered before realising just what exactly came out of his mouth. He bit his lip as his own face turned a light shade of pink. Minho simply blushed harder before swallowing and a nervous giggle escaped the younger's mouth. "Sorry... Um... Let's go, before you bleed to death."  
  
Minho nodded in agreement before they slowly began to walk back down the alley and back into the street that Taemin had been dancing on before. As they made their way towards the door of one of the apartment blocks, Minho caught Taemin's eyes. "Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome." The dancer gave him a beaming smile before continuing to help the older into his building and up towards his room.  
  
"You look like an angel when you smile."

**Author's Note:**

> This scene was just begging me to be told from Taemin's point of view, though obviously I altered the plot and dialogue a lot more with this one. It just seemed right to change from Angel drumming to Taemin dancing... plus Taemin seems like he would be a lot shyer than what Angel is, hence the altered dialogue. I also added in a lot more dialogue here as well.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it!! And that the randomness of a Christmas related fic being posted in April isn't too weird for you.
> 
> Feel free to leave some feedback. It's all greatly appreciated. <3


End file.
